English has the pronouns
"me", "we", "you", "he",
"she", "it", and "they", plus the
archaic "thou" and "ye". Quenya has more,
because it makes some distinctions that English does not make.
This lesson we will only look at some of the simpler Quenya pronouns,
and leave the rest for a later lesson.
Quenya pronouns do not
distinguish between males and females (“him” vs. “her”).
Quenya does
make the distinction between formal/polite “you” and
informal/familiar “you”. (Think Spanish tu
vs. usted;
French tu
vs. vous;
German du
vs. sie.)
English used to have this distinction: “you” was formal,
and “thou” was familiar.
Yes,
people are often confused that "thou" is the familiar,
rather than the formal. The confusion is probably because
nowadays "thou" shows up in old-fashioned prayers.
Those prayers really were, originally, addressing God in the form
used for a close friend. You may take that as strange, or as
profound.
In
Tolkien's notes, he uses the word "thou" as singular,and
"you" frequently as plural. He uses both words
("thou" and "you") for both "familiar"
and "formal," generally explaining in each situation
whether it is "familiar" or "formal."
Presumably in Quenya, as in human languages, it would be patronizing and insulting to use the "familiar" in the wrong setting. Use the "formal" when speaking to the king, unless you are close family (or possibly late in a beer-drinking session).
Tolkien
gave us several examples of the distinction between formal ("you")
and familiar ("thou"), at least in the 'Common' language.
For
example, consider the Mouth of Sauron (Return
of the King,
Chapter 10, "The Black Gate Opens"), being deliberately
provocative to the Captains of the West:
"'Is
there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me?' he asked.
'Or indeed with wit to understand me? Not thou at
least!' he mocked, turning to Aragorn with scorn.
...
{to
Gandalf}
'Then thou art the spokesman, old greybeard? Have we not
heard of thee at whiles, and of thy wanderings, ever hatching plots
and mischief at a safe distance?'
The
Mouth of Sauron is being patronizing and insulting, using "familiar"
when the more respectful "formal" is appropriate
On
the other hand, the few occasions when Aragorn addresses Eowyn with
"thee," it is with genuine tenderness.
Tolkien
describes, in Appendix F, the hobbits' confusion with pronouns:
"The
Westron {'Common'}
tongue made in the pronouns of the second person (and often also in
those of the third) a distinction, independent of number, between
'familiar' and 'deferential' forms. It was, however, one of the
peculiarities of Shire-usage that the deferential forms had gone out
of colloquial use. They lingered only among the villagers,
especially of the West-farthing, who used them as endearments. This
was one of the things referred to when people of Gondor spoke of the
strangeness of Hobbit-speech. Peregrin Took, for instance, in
his first few days in Minas Tirith used the familiar forms to people
of all ranks, including the Lord Denethor himself. This may
have amused the aged Steward, but it must have astonished his
servants. No doubt this free use of the familiar forms helped
to spread the popular rumour that Peregrin was a person of very high
rank in his own country.
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